  
TO JOHN PASTONII 1469, 09, 
22-30  
To Ser John Paston, in hast. 
I grete &yogh;ow wele and send &yogh;ow Goddys blyssyng and 
myn, letyng &yogh;ow wete &thorn;at me thynke be &thorn;e letter 
&thorn;at &thorn;e sent me be Robeyn &thorn;at &yogh;e thynke 
&thorn;at  
I xuld wryte to &yogh;ow fabyls and ymagynacyons. But I do not soo; I 
haue wrytyn as yt haue be enformed me, and wulle do. It was told me 
&thorn;at bothe Daubeney and Berney were dedee, but fore serten 
Daubeney is dede, God asoyle hys sowle, where-of I am rythe sory, and 
yt had plesyd God &thorn;at yt mythe a be odere-wysse. Remembyre 
&yogh;ow &yogh;e haue had ij gret lossys wyth-yne thys towylemonthe, 
of hym and of Ser Thomas. God wysythyt &yogh;ow as yt plesythe hym 
jn sundery wyses. He woold &yogh;e xuld knowe hym and serue hym 
better &thorn;an &yogh;e haue do be-fore thys tyme, and &thorn;an he 
wule send &yogh;ow &thorn;e more grace to do wele in alle othere 
thynggys. And fore Goddys loue, remembyreyt rythe welle and takeyt 
pacyentely, and thanke God of hys vysitacyon; and yf any thyng haue be 
a mysse any othere wyse &thorn;an yt howte to haue ben be-fore thys, 
owthere in pryde ore in laues expencys ore in any othere thyng 
&thorn;at haue offendyd God, amend yt and pray hym of hys grace and 
helpe, and entend welle to God and to &yogh;owr neybors; and thow 
&yogh;owr poore hereaftyre be to aquyte hem of here maleys, &yogh;et 
be mersyfulle to them, and God xale send &yogh;ow &thorn;e more 
grace to haue &yogh;owr entente in othere thynggys. I remembyre thys 
clawsys be-cause of &thorn;e last letter &thorn;at &yogh;e sent me. I 
haue sent to Hary Halman of Sporylle to helpe to gette as &yogh;e 
desyerd me, and he canne not gette passyd v ore viij at the most, and 
&yogh;et yt wule not be but yf he cume &thorn;at &yogh;e trust vpon 
&thorn;at xuld cume, fore they long a parte to hym. And Ryschard 
Schary[[ls]] hathe a-sayed on hys parte, and he cane not gette passyd v, 
fore thoo &thorn;at long to vus there long also to owr aduersarys, and 
they haue be desyerd be them and they woold nowte do fore hem; and 
there-fore they thynke to haue magery of &thorn;e todere parte. As fore 
&thorn;e jantylman &thorn;at ye desyerd me to speke wyth, I spake 
wyth hys wyfe and sche told me he was not in thys cuntr&eacute; nere 
nowte woost wan he xuld be here; and as fore the toder man, he hath 
bowthe hym a leuery in Bromeholme Pryory and haue &yogh;euen vpe 
&thorn;e woord, &amp;c. Item, as fore mony I kowde gette but x 
li. vpon pledgys, and &thorn;at is spent fore &yogh;owr materes here 
fore payeng of &yogh;owr men &thorn;at wern at Caster and othere 
thynggys, and I woot not were to gette non, nowthere fore suert&eacute; 
ner fore pleggys. And as fore myn owyn lyuelod, I am so symppely 
payed  
thereof &thorn;at I fere me I xale be fayn to borow fore my-sylfe ore ell 
to breke vp howsold, ore bothe. As fore &thorn;e &yogh;elddyng of the 
place at Caster, I trowe Wretyll hathe told of the pow[n]tementys how 
yttys delyuerd. I woold &thorn;at had be so here thys tyme, and 
&yogh;an there xuld not a be do so mykyle hurte as the[[re]] is in 
dyuerse weyes, fore ma[n]y of owr wele-wylleres arn putte to loosse fore 
owr sakys, And I fare me yt xale be long here yt be recumpensyd 
a-geyn, and &thorn;at xale cause othere to do &thorn;e lesse fore vus 
here-aftyre. I woold &yogh;e xuld [send] &yogh;owr brothere woord, 
and sum othere &thorn;at &yogh;e truste, to see to &yogh;owr owyn 
lyuelod, to sette yt in a rule and to gader there-of &thorn;at may be had 
in haste, and also of Ser John Fastolffys lyuelod &thorn;at may be 
gadyrd in pesybyle wyse; fore as fore Ryschard Calle, he wulle no more 
gadyre yt but yf &yogh;e comaund hym, and he woold fayn make hys 
acowntte and haue &yogh;owr good maystyre-schepe, as yttys told me, 
and delyuere &thorn;e euydens of Bekkeham and alle othere thynggys 
&thorn;at longgyth to &yogh;ow &thorn;at he trusttythe &thorn;at 
&yogh;e wylle be hys good maystere here-aftyre. And he sethe he wylle 
not take non newe master tyle &yogh;e refuse hys seruyse. Remembyre 
&thorn;at &yogh;owr lyuelod may be set in soche a rule &thorn;at 
&yogh;e may knowe how yttys and wat is owy[[ng]] to &yogh;ow, fore 
be my feythe I haue holppyn as mysche as I may, and more, sauyng 
my-sylfe. And therefore take hede ere yt be weers. Thys letter was 
begune on Fryday was vij nythe and enddyd thys day nexte afftyre 
Mykylmes Day. God kepe &yogh;ow and &yogh;eue &yogh;ow grace to 
do as we[[le]] as I woold &yogh;e dede. And I scharge &yogh;ow be 
ware &thorn;at &yogh;e sette no lond to morgage, fore yf any auyse 
&yogh;ow there-to they arn not &yogh;owr frenddys. Be ware be tymes 
[be] myn a-vyse, &amp;c. I trow yowr brothere wy[[lle send]] 
&yogh;ow tydyngys in haste.  

